


breach of faith

by TlEFIGHTER



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, Kylo Ren Has Issues, M/M, Manipulation, POV Hux, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Reverse Chronology, Sniper Armitage Hux, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Time Skips, Unreliable Narrator, episode IX speculation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 19:49:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13084146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TlEFIGHTER/pseuds/TlEFIGHTER
Summary: nouna violation of good faith, confidence, or trust;betrayal.It was absurd to assume that Armitage Hux would bend ever so willingly to the whims of the new Supreme Leader. And yet, not even he could predict how it all ended.Or the steps it took to get there.





	1. The End

**Author's Note:**

> so tlj was amazing and i'm dying to go see it again as much as i am now dying to see what will go down in episode ix. this is actually an idea that started brewing around the time of tfa but tlj just made it go in a slightly different direction and i could dig it even **more**. hope y'all like it!

The siren was the first thing he became aware of. It was the distress siren, same make that's been used on destroyers of this class for decades.

The sound was loud and close, engulfing him as if in comfort, the way a mother would wrap her arms around their child to hold them up to her warn chest. He felt the warmth.

 It was very warm, actually.

A heat that contrasted with the cold steel on his back in the place he lies on the floor. But what of the heat? He slowly cracked open his eyes, trying but ultimately failing to not wince as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

His head ached. His arms and legs trembled as if he had run for days without rest.

When his eyes were able to fully focus on his hands folded in his lap, he blinked as he looked up to take in his surroundings. Sparking wires were above him, debris scattered across the floor, and fire... terrible fire was everywhere.

His mind swam and, for a moment, he reckoned that he would faint once more and his jaw clenched at the thought of his throbbing head unceremoniously colliding with the unforgiving floor again.

Out of reflex, he raised a pale hand to his face, as if to search for clues that could explain how and why he got to this hellish place that looked like a nightmare. He found no wounds there, save for the still-healing scar under his eye and tenderness at the back of his head and on his throat.

How did he get here?

He looked more around himself, his hand still ghosting along his throat and collarbone, taking in short, quick breaths in the smoke-filled too.

The ground beneath him then gave a great jolt and he cried out as it flung him forward, chin first, with a _thump_. He groaned as he struggled to climb up on all fours, his arms protesting and the taste of iron from where he bit his tongue in fall, feeling sick and certain that he will lose consciousness. It was then, with a grunt, he lifted his head and saw what was before him.

All air in his lungs ceased as he gasped and recoiled in horror. He was not alone in this room.

There was a body -- an unconscious one, at that -- no more than ten feet from where he crouched. It lied facing away from him, as if it was watching the lights that flashed beyond the large window that, along with the fire, illuminated the room.

He mustered enough strength to make sure his legs wouldn't give as he crawled to the fallen figure, ignoring his every urge to stop, be sick, or both. The heat was unbearable and the floor gave another great jerk as he moved forward. Once he made it within two feet of his target, he was gasping for air.

Everything...hurt. Everything was uncomfortable.

He sat back on his heels, closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around his stomach. A choked gasp followed the latter as he panicked at the feeling of moist stickiness and the sight if red on his forearms and hands.

Blood.

He did wound himself after all. No. He had been shot. Shot right through the gut. Memories swam back into his mind at that moment. He knew how he got shot. He knew where he was. He knew why this place was in such disarray and he knew what the commotion was outside. He knew who was on the floor.

It could have been the revelation or the general shock that made him push up to his legs, at last, and take crooked steps closer to the other body in the room. _I did this_ , was the only thought that whispered in his head. _This was me. I did this_.

He was numb of all feeling, then. Numb, as he knelt close to the body clad in black. Numb, as he pressed a bloodied palm to the other person's shoulder. Numb, as he turned the body over and took in the face of the other man. The skin looked paler than he had ever seen it in all the years they had known each other, yet the setting of the lips and brow was a caricature of peace.

His hand combed back the hair that fell on the now-cold forehead and bent low enough to press it gently against his own. He took a deep breath there, holding his eyes closed and taking in this last moment of intimacy.

"I'm sorry," his throat was so dry that his voice was no more than a croak. "I am so sorry."

As much as he tried to convince himself that the words were true, something within him knew the truth but he dared not to acknowledge it. Not now.

He took in another breath and ignored the moisture of his eyes as he brushed his lips against the chilled temple in what any onlooker would interpret as a kiss before straightening, grinding his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet and limped around the body.

His boot collided with something and he picked it up almost without looking. Even through his gloves the metal of blaster was warm from the heat of the room. _Or maybe just recent use_ , he thought as he wrapped an arm around his middle as he strode and let the other hang limply, blaster loosely clenched in his hand.

Carefully, to not irritate his wounds, he took each stepped before the window.

There, he watched the continuing fray of X-wings and TIE fighters zig-zagging across the blackness of space, some bursting into flames and disappearing into its great nothingness as others brutally attacked each other. _So, this was how war ends_.

He refocused his eyes to gaze into the reflective surface of the window and took in, for the first time, his appearance. Aside from the blood soaking the middle of his shirt and hands, he did not look bad. His eyes were clear and as bright as ever. His hair was a mess but it was something he had become more accustomed to over the last few months. Though the time was inappropriate, he marveled at how he had yet to gray and vainly felt pride in that. If he was in another place and this was another time, he would laugh. This was madness. It was _all_ madness.

He, at the end of all things, a smile creeping across his lips and tears falling from his blue eyes. The _Finalizer II_ shook beneath his feet as she took another hit.

And all the while, behind him lied the body of his Supreme Leader. His. 

Armitage Hux really could laugh. For a moment he thought of his father. Of his mother. Of every mentor he had and began to wonder.  
  
_What would they say if they were standing here now? In this circle of fire in the darkest corner of space, our men become dust among the stars and their losses shots coloring the sky like fireworks on a day of remembrance. What would they say if they knew? Perhaps they had always known this road would end here._

He suddenly became more aware of the smoke and coughed. Tears were falling freely then and his smile sadly widened between coughs. The weight of the blaster felt heavier than it had been a minute ago so Hux could do nothing more but hold it tighter, his other hand releasing his grip on his torso to wipe at his eyes.

That gesture resulted in a streak of blood being smeared across his eyes, mingling with the tears and soot that painted his pale face. It was fitting, standing like this. His appearance a perfect parody of the life and image he prided in showing the public. Perhaps this was his natural state and he had only been so defiant that he buried it away.

He did have a temper. He was called rabid, wild, and ferocious more than once in his entire career. It only makes sense that now, alone, with only himself as a living witness, that he can see who he truly was.

_  
I have brought ruin to the First Order. I have cost the Order victory in this war._

_I am the murderer of Kylo Ren._

_This was me._


	2. Four Years Earlier

"Long live...the Supreme Leader..."

Hux gasped as the invisible hold on his throat gave and he crashed to the floor, cringing as he felt the stitches on his lip come undone and tasted blood on his tongue. Defiant, he looked up and was not surprised to meet the dark eyes of Kylo Ren, narrowed in anger but something akin to pain hidden in their depths, staring back at him.

Hux hated to admit that it was almost impressive how, despite the given series of recent events that, undoubtedly, must impact Ren more than he, the man was able to stand on his own two feet and was ready to continue the fight (even though he just seemingly lost against his young nemesis for the second time in a month). 

"Your boldness will not go unnoticed, General Hux," Ren said. "As Supreme Leader, I-"

"I beg your pardon?"

Hux staggered to his feet, clasping his thighs as he took a deep breath in to straighten his stance and camouflage how much pain he was in. "You truly believe that you have the right to claim the title of Supreme Leader? You?"

He openly laughed then, noting how the scarred side of Ren's face twitched at the sound but his eyes never left Hux. "For all of your great, dark powers, the notion of appointing you as Supreme Leader is ludicrous and an insult, not just to me but to the entire First Order." 

"And you feel that you're better suited for the job?"

Ren was not outwardly glaring at him but his voice had just enough venom that he didn't need to make Hux clench his fists and glare in response.  "You and I both know I have always been better prepared for the title than you."

Ren looked away then, pacing towards where half of their former leader's corpse lied crumpled on the floor. For a moment neither spoke, Hux still leveling his breathing and Ren standing like a statue as he looked at his dead master.

Right as Hux was prepared to walk out of the room, Ren slowly spoke.

“You know what he called you? A 'rabid cur'. Do you know what that means?"

Hux didn't bother to look behind him but he could feel through the air when Ren did, for he took notice of the sensation of those terrible eyes and the touch of the damned Force creeping along his back and into his mind from where he stood.

It felt as if Ren was right behind him, then, whispering in his ear, "A mad dog. Untamed. Disobedient. Wild. Aggressive. An animal. Of no significant breed or bloodline. Looking at you now, it seems very fitting."

Hux closed his eyes and felt himself shudder as the monotoned voice continued to crone these words meant to rile something… _anything_ …out of him. The words felt as if they were being uttered so close that Hux became unsure if Ren was speaking to him aloud or projecting it into his mind like a demented conscience that wanted to drive him mad rather than help.

"You hide your true self beneath a veil of perfectionism and pose that you hoped no one else could see. You have sported a mask longer than I. Yet I have seen what you are capable of since we first met. I _felt_ it the minute I gaze upon your face. You hungered for blood and ruin and have seen yourself as the herald of the changing tides, not I. But, ever choosing to be the counterpart, you chose to cower a way in your quarters with your army protecting you and have people fight your battles. No wonder Snoke saw you as disposable and unworthy."

It happened so quickly that Hux wasn't sure if he even blinked.

One minute he had his back to Ren and the next he was facing him, blaster in hand, aiming for his heart and pulling the trigger.

The blaster-shot levitated in mid-air between them and Hux felt he was unable to put his arm back down, watching in shock and, dare he say, fear as it trembled where it hovered outstretched.

Ren didn't move from where he stood at Snoke's throne after all, but he was looking towards Hux just as he eerily knew he was.

The one-sided stalemate was brief, as Ren started walking towards him in careful strides. He paused at the frozen blaster shot and, to Hux's astonishment, brushed a finger carefully against it to face it away from its intended target of where he was just standing and releasing it from its hold so it crashed into the opposite wall instead.

At the same time, Hux's arm gave and he slumped forward, looking down at the black boots before him. It took all of his restraint to not flinch or shove off the large hands that gripped his shoulders and brought him back up and more to hold his gaze with that of the other man.

Ren searched his face for a moment but did not remove his grasp on Hux's shoulders as he said, "Snoke was right about you, as I am right about you. He didn't see enough and, in that, he was wrong. But now he’s gone. I know he did not see you fit for that promotion..."

His hands slowly slid down Hux's arms and Hux felt dizzy. _How did he know about this?_ It was spoken of in private between him and Snoke but, then again, he was apparently in the habit of discussing Hux behind his back and to his _favorite_ student.

But right now, Ren’s touch, his voice, the look in his eyes and pallor of his face, everything about Ren right now felt wrong. So wrong. He wanted to run or shoot him again or both. A part of Hux wanted to get away.

Ren only canted his head to the side and continued to regard him with fascination as he continued. "But I do. As Supreme Leader, I will make it my duty that you receive everything that rightfully belongs to you. A new title, notoriety, and position that, by my side, would lead the Order into a greater age than you or anyone before you could have ever imagined."

He let go of Hux and took one step back, stretched a hand out, removed the glove then presented it, palm facing up, in what Hux thought was a mockery of good faith.

Ren still refused to look away from him, even when the fingers of his offered hand flexed as it laid open.

"Join me," he said. "Lead by my side as my newly appointed Grand Marshal and all will be as you wished."

"And if I refuse?" Hux did not dare show his growing anxiety, holding his hands behind him as he did every day on the bridge to show his authority in the area and clearing his mind so the bastard couldn't dig anything out of him.

 Ren only lifted a corner of his full lips in a half-smile as an answer, not saying a word.

 _It has really come to this_ , Hux thought.

  _I'm afraid it has_ , came the calm voice of Ren in his mind.

A beat passed between them, both men facing each other but not looking directly at the other’s face, standing still in the silent burning chamber, before Hux finally brought a hand out from behind him, extracted it from its glove, and placed it in Ren's waiting palm.

For a split second, Ren's expression softened at the contact. It hardened again as they gripped each other's hand with earnest then the other's wrist as their eyes met again.

"Do you swear?" Ren asked.

Hux dug his nails in Ren's sleeves wrist for good measure as he replied, "I swear." Then he added, "...Supreme Leader."

The smile that got out of Ren was almost more familiar and Hux pretended not to notice how Ren squeezed his hand slightly at the words nor how his fingers slid along his palm as he retracted his hand to put the glove back where it belonged. 

"Come, then," Ren said, the moment seemingly washing away from his expression and the hardened face of a man with a mission returning. "The faster we abandon ship, the faster we can regroup and corner the rebel scum. I didn't need to search the girl's mind to know exactly where they're going."

He strode past Hux and made for the exit, pausing only when he noticed that Hux had not budged.

Hux twisted around to face him and saw Ren regarding him curiously, head tilted in the direction he was heading as if to beckon him to follow. Hux nodded as a way to tell him that he'll be there shortly then Ren gave him another look that made his skin crawl and nodded back before turning again and marching out.

Alone, Hux groaned and let out a shaky breath he knew he had been holding since he touched Ren. His mind swam as he tried to piece together what he had just done and what, for all the stars in the universe, is going to happen next.

 He brought his still bare palm to his face and inhaled. _"I'm afraid it has," that's what he said_ , Hux recalled. _Is he really afraid now?_

The _Supremacy_ shaking brought Hux out of his mind and made him immediately realize that he had to run now or face being blown to bits and reduced to stardust in a matter of seconds. He hurried to the threshold of the chamber's exit then paused.

He turned again and took confident strides back through the bodies of the guards and pieces of the now-broken throne and up to the horribly dismembered corpse of Snoke.

Taking the place of where Ren had stood only moments ago, Hux was able to see that Snoke’s face was contorted in that of pure terror and, for a minute, Hux wondered what it did feel like to see the girl raise her weapon to him. There was a sense of initial shock in the pools of Snoke's vacant eyes so Hux chalked it up as it indeed being a startling turn of events and no more.

He stared down at the body some more, not really sure what he was doing or what he honestly thought of seeing Snoke dead in a pile of rubble, a far fall from the grandeur that often carried his presence, as horrible as it was.

With a sigh he turned again to leave. Then, once more, he paused.

And he thought. And he decided. Hux paced back to where Snoke lied, leaned over the dead, petrified face, and spat right into the eye of his former leader.

Then he ran.


End file.
